Try You Again
by awesomekittycat
Summary: Seven years ago, Annabeth had been terrified. Terrified of how much she loved a certain boy named Percy. So terrified she broke up with him and moved across the country. Now, she's back for an engagement party. Percy's at the party, and after a drunk man drenches them in wine (long story) she ends up staying with him for the night, which turns into a while. Which turns into...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This story might be sort of M sometimes, so be warned.**

Annabeth was uncomfortable. It might have been the tight dress Piper had made her wear, or the fact that she hadn't seen a couple of these people for seven years, or maybe the fact that she was standing in the corner, alone.

After the end of the Giant War, she and Percy had tried dating, but something hadn't clicked like it had before, so they'd ended it. Shortly after, she'd moved away, to San Francisco, and two years after that, to Los Angeles. She'd been there for five years when Piper had called, telling her that she was not to miss her engagement party after she'd missed all the other gatherings and parties they'd had, and that she'd come and kidnap her if she didn't come up. So Annabeth had packed her bags, taken two weeks off at work, and flown to New York. Piper had been super excited to see her, and promised that she'd love the party, and that she could stay with her in Piper's apartment, which was great. Except when the party finally rolled around and Annabeth really wanted to leave, except she was sleeping on the couch, in this apartment. And her bed was currently holding ten different people. Ten drunk people who she had no idea of their names and seriously doubted they'd let her shoo them off the couch so she could go to bed.

No, it was stupid, so she continued to stand in the corner and watch Piper and Jason socialize and be happy together, waving Piper's ring around. People would glance at her for a second, then move on, ignoring the wallflower.

Sighing, Annabeth turned around and opened the sliding balcony door, being sure to shut it behind her so no one would follow her. The cool wind felt good against her bare legs and bare shoulders, so she leaned against the railing to soak it in. Then she noticed the structure of the building and leaned down, over the railing to study it.

That was when she heard the door open and shut behind her, and, cursing, she pulled herself back up to offer a plausible excuse for leaning over the railing.

But she didn't have to—the crooked grin rendered her speechless.

"You—Piper said you couldn't make it," She blurted, unable to stop herself.

The grin got wider. "That's why you agreed to come, right? Because I wouldn't be here?"  
"No!"

"Uh-huh. Relax, Annabeth. I was joking."  
She relaxed slightly. "Wasn't very funny, Percy."  
He shrugged, unconcerned. "I thought it was. Come here, Annabeth. Give me a hug so I know you are really here."  
Reluctantly, she stepped forward and hugged Percy back. He squeezed her nice and tight, and she pulled back after a few seconds.

"Well, now I know you're really here."  
"You doubted it?"  
"Nah, sometimes I'd get drunk and imagine you."  
"You get drunk often?"  
"Nope. Makes me feel too much like those weird people in there," Percy said, gesturing into the apartment.

"They're sitting on my bed," She blurted, not knowing why. He laughed.

"That's why you're out here, huh? Hiding from the people?"  
She flushed. "I'm not hiding."  
"Of course not. Annabeth Chase never hides."

"Are you drunk?"  
"I was. It's ebbing away." He fell silent, then looked her up and down. "You look cold."  
She shivered right then, proving his point, so he took her arm and pulled her back into the party.

"They don't know who I am," She said, gesturing at the people scattered around. He shook his head.  
"They're Piper and Jason's work friends."  
"Ah. Where are all the demigods?"

"Well, I'm not sure about Frank and Hazel, but I know Leo had a thing in New Jersey, and some people were busy, some were tired, and some were sick. So it's just the four of us."

They continued edging around the outer wall of the apartment, avoiding people who look too flirty or too drunk. Halfway around, a man wearing an orange tie climbed on top of the coffee table, holding a giant pitcher of wine. He started to slosh it out at people, then flung the rest of it out.

It landed right on Percy and Annabeth—drenched, from head to toe, in red wine. Clothes ruined. Percy scowled and started toward the man, to remove him from his perch, and Annabeth took that opportunity to slip away, out the door.  
She clattered down the stairs, heels banging and slipping with wine, and finally made it to the lobby and out the door. Out onto the street, with a few people going back and forth. She hailed a taxi and told him to take her to the closest, good quality hotel. He did, speeding off, and she didn't notice the wine-drenched boy getting into a cab behind her and following her down the street.

When her taxi stopped, she quickly paid the driver and squirmed out, wanting to get out of her stinking dress.

"Annabeth!" She heard. Turning, she saw Percy leaning out of a cab, grinning at her.

"What are you doing?" She exclaimed, walking closer to him and almost falling in Piper's heels.

"That's a crappy hotel. You can come stay with me."  
"With you?" Her voice squeaked as he opened the door and motioned her in.

"Yeah, come on."  
She only hesitated a second before getting into the cab with him. He told the driver an address, and it sped off.

A few minutes later, it stopped again, in front of a nice looking building. Percy paid the driver, then ushered her out and into the building. A doorman greeted him as they walked by, and Percy smiled back, both of them ignoring the fact that they were soaked in wine.

"Do you come back in wine a lot?" Annabeth asked, shivering slightly from the cold and wetness.

"No, but some of the other tenants do." They took the elevator in silence and stopped at the 3rd floor. It had a clean hallway, with white carpet that got stained redish from their footsteps.

"We've left a trail," Annabeth remarked as Percy fits his key in the lock.

"I'll pay them back," He replied, opening the door.  
She entered, and he closed and locked the door behind them.

"Do you want to shower?" He asked, throwing his keys into the bowl by the door and shrugging off his jacket. "Your hair's red," He laughed.

"Yes, please," Annabeth said, hoping he wouldn't say he has women's products in his shower.

"Alright, as long as you don't mind smelling like man for a while."  
She smiled. "No, that's fine."  
"The bed's a pullout, but I don't know what you'd sleep in…we can wash your underwear, but I don't have any…" He scratched his head. "Let me go look, I'll be right back."  
He disappeared down the small hallway, consisting of two doors, and Annabeth unhooked her heels and set them by the door. Then she surveyed his apartment.

It was a nice size for a one person—a living room, with a couch, a couple of armchairs, a TV, and a bookshelf—and a kitchen with an island counter. A small hallway branched off the living room, and Annabeth could see three doors. But in the living room, there were a multitude of pictures on the walls, so she studied them.

They mostly consisted of Percy and some friend—Percy and Grover, or Percy and Thalia. She found only one of her, while there were multiple of everyone else.

 _Doesn't matter_ , she told herself. _I'm his high school ex._

"Hey, Annabeth? Can you come here real quick?" She heard Percy call, and she left the pictures to follow his voice.

He was in his bedroom, which was fairly clean, holding up a plaid shirt. She raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't done laundry in a while. Plus, I've never worn this."  
"I need pants," She reminded him.

"I know, I'll find…" He dug around for a few seconds, then pulled out an unopened package of boxer shorts. His face was red as he offered them.

"They're the smallest thing I've got…"  
"That's fine," She said, taking them while blushing as red as him.

"The shower's across the hall, just turn it counter clockwise. It takes a while to warm up, so I'll grab your towels and stuff if you want to turn it on."

She nodded, then went into the bathroom—which, like the rest of Percy's apartment, was fairly clean. Taking deep breaths and refusing to think about where she was, or what she was doing, she turned the shower on and sat on the counter.

"Here," he said, poking his head into the bathroom, holding a towel and washcloth.

"Thanks."  
His head disappeared, and Annabeth shut the door firmly and locked it.

She showered quickly and put on the plaid shirt and boxers. They covered everything, so Annabeth decided to go with it. Her underwear was tinted red and smelly, so she rinsed them off in the shower quickly before going back into the living room.

Percy was sitting on the couch—well, what used to be the couch. He'd pulled the mattress out and put sheets and a comforter on it. He looked up from his hands when she came in.

"Was it warm enough?" He asked, standing.

"Yeah."  
"Good. Sometimes, it takes a while and then it won't get warm…" He trailed off, his eyes falling down to the button she'd left undone. Then he snapped his eyes up, back to her face. "And I have to call the plumber, to bang on the pipes."  
"Oh."  
They stood in silence for a second.  
"Uh, I'm going to take a shower. You need anything else?"  
"No, thanks."  
He smiled at her, then disappeared down the hallway. Annabeth collapsed on the couch.  
 _He's your ex_ , she said to herself. _Being nice. That's it._

She pulled the covers back on the bed and climbed under, her wet hair pressing into her head and making her uncomfortable. She only lasted a second before getting back out and turning on the fan in the corner. She grabbed one of the books off a shelf and started reading it in the corner, her hair getting blown back by the fan.

She'd made it to Chapter 4 when Percy stepped into the living room.

"Annabeth?"  
She jumped, not having heard him come in.

"Uh, yeah?"  
"You okay?"  
"Yeah. My, um, hair was really wet so I decided to dry it."  
He laughed, and she couldn't help smiling back.

"Okay. Good luck. I'll see you in the morning."  
"Good night," She answered, going back to her book.

It was almost 2:30 a.m. when she put the book down and got back into bed, falling asleep quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunlight was filtering in through the windows when Annabeth finally opened her eyes. She stretched, then froze. The party. Piper. _Percy_.

She sat up, looking around. Percy was in the kitchen, eating pancakes at the island counter, slightly spinning side to side on the stool he was perched on. He was wearing a tee-shirt, backwards, so Annabeth assumed that he slept shirtless.

Of course, he could have put the shirt on in the dark, she reasoned. Was he shirtless last night when he'd come to say good night? She couldn't remember.

And for that matter, why was she thinking about it?

"Morning," He called to her.

"Morning," She replied, rolling out of bed and walking over to the counter.

"Want pancakes?"  
"Sure."

He opened the oven and took out two chocolate-chip pancakes.

"You make them in the oven?" She asked.  
"No, I made them on the stove, then put them in the oven on low temp to keep them warm for you."  
"Ah," She nodded. "They aren't blue."  
"Nah, I'm out of food coloring."  
She laughed. "Of course."  
"Why of course?"  
"I thought you had, like, saved it for your mother."  
"You thought I had grown out of it," He said, pointing his fork at her.

"No!"  
"Don't lie, Annabeth."  
"Okay, fine," She admitted. "I thought you had grown up and given up blue foods. No, it sounds wrong."  
He made a face at her.  
"It does, though. Percy not wanting blue food? I'm surprised you didn't run out to get some."  
"I almost did, but I didn't want you to wake up and think I was kidnapped. Or something."  
"Ah. I'd have just thought you were sleeping."  
"So no one would call the police?"  
"Nope."  
He frowned at her.

"Your shirt's on backward."  
"Your hair is messy."  
The buzzer sounded, and Percy slid of his stool. "Huh. People don't usually come in the morning…"  
"It's the kidnapper," She called to him, finishing her pancakes.

"Oh, it's Piper."  
Annabeth swore. "Where can I hide?"  
He looked amused. "I don't know."  
"Oh, you never play hide and seek in here by yourself?"  
He sighed. "Under the island counter, the end cupboard is empty—you should be able to fit."  
She grinned slightly, knowing that she was right—he played hide and seek.

The cupboard wasn't spacious but it was big enough for her to fit in, if she hugged her knees to her chest and held her head low. She left the door cracked open, so she could see. The cupboard was facing out, so when Percy opened the door, she had a clear view of Piper.  
"Hi, Piper," He said.

"Hey, Percy. You seen Annabeth?"  
"No."  
"Uh-huh. Were you camping?" She asked, gesturing to the pullout bed. Percy scratched his hair.

"Yes."  
"Oh." She smiled slyly at him, shifting her weight, and stepped right on the heel of Annabeth's shoes.

"Huh," She said, picking them up. "I have this exact pair. Look, there's even the scratch I made falling down the stairs. Huh. You know, I lent my shoes like this to Annabeth."  
"What a coincidence."  
"Yeah. You know, I was going to offer to bring Annabeth her stuff, since there are still a bunch of people in my apartment, but I guess since she's not here… Anyway, can I use your bathroom?"  
"Sure. It's the door on the left."  
Piper went into the bathroom, and Percy opened the cupboard.

"What should I do?"  
"I want my clothes. But I don't want her to know I'm in the cupboard."  
"You can stop by later, ask for them."  
Annabeth nodded.

The bathroom door opened, and Percy jumped back and hit his head on the edge of the counter. Swearing, he kicked the door to the cupboard closed.

"Percy? You're out of toilet paper." Piper called.  
He walked off, until Annabeth couldn't hear him. Then she heard Piper's footsteps walk toward the counter and stop.

She knocked on the door. "Are you naked?"  
"What? No!"  
Piper opened the cupboard door, smirking. "That looks uncomfortable."  
"It's really nice. Want to try?"  
"No, thanks. Did you guys hook up?"  
"No! I slept on the pullout!"  
"Sheesh, okay. I checked his bathroom, he doesn't have any con—"  
"There you go, Piper," Percy called. She closed the door.

"Thanks, Perce. I don't have to go anymore. By the way, next time you're hiding someone, make sure their underwear and dress are well hidden, too. I'll bring her clothes over."  
Annabeth heard the door open and close, then the pullout bed creak. With difficulty, she opened the door and fell out onto the linoleum.

"Ow," She said.

Percy laughed. She tipped her head back to glare at him.

"It's not funny."  
"It kind of is," He laughed.

She gave a small giggle, which turned into a bigger giggle, which turned into a laugh.

"Ah, come on," Percy said after they had died down, helping her up. They stood there, regarding each other.

The door buzzed.  
"I'll get it!" Percy said. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"It's your apartment, Percy."  
He opened the door, revealing Annabeth's suitcases sitting on the welcome mat.

"Huh," Percy said. "She ran."  
Annabeth sighed as they lugged her stuff in. "She brought all my clothes over," She told him, looking at the cases. "All of my stuff has been packed up and brought here."  
"It's a sign," Percy said, closing the door and locking it. "You can never leave."  
Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "It unlocks from the inside. I can get out."  
Percy shrugged. "Well, obviously Piper meant that you aren't welcome at her place anymore. Which could be good. She's probably having sex with Jason 24/7."  
"Oh, thanks for that image."  
"Anytime." Percy finished stacking all her cases in a pile by the couch.

"You're going to give up your couch for me?" She asked him.

"I never use it. And I can just sit on the bed."  
"If I'm sleeping?"  
"I'll just sit on the bed."

"If you have guests and I'm sleeping?"  
"I never have guests that early."  
"You did today. Just a couple more minutes, Piper would have seen me sleeping."  
"At least you don't drool."  
"True. How much?"  
"How much what?"  
"How much will it cost, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth rolled her eyes, unconsciously reverting to her old nickname for Percy.

"Nothing."  
"You have to charge me something."  
"You can clean," He decided. "I really, really hate vacuuming and dusting and such."

"Like the housewife?"  
"Nah, I'll cook and take care of the children."  
She threw a pillow at him, making him laugh. "No, seriously, I'll cook. I excel at it."  
"Fine, then."  
He stuck out his hand, and she shook it.  
"Okay, you'd better start cleaning. The dishes are on the counter."  
She rolled her eyes and sat back on her bed. "I'm in the middle of this book. You clean up your plate."  
He stuck out his tongue and picked up her book from the end table.

"You want me to clean? Fine. I'll start with this book."  
He put it on top of the bookshelf. "Reach it if you can, Wise Girl."  
He went into the kitchen, so she got up and went to the shelf. Stretching on her tiptoes, she couldn't reach it. Mentally cursing his height, she put her foot on the bottom shelf. She still couldn't reach it, since he'd put it in the very back, next to the wall.

Carefully, Annabeth placed her foot on the next shelf, holding onto the one next to the top. Finally, she grasped the book and leaned back, still holding the shelf, to blow off the dust.

Then she felt the shelf tipping. Panicked, she tried to let go, but she was too late—the bookshelf crashed to the floor, on top of her. It wasn't extremely heavy that it was hurting badly, but it was too heavy for her lift off, and it was uncomfortable, books pressing into her chest and legs.

"Percy!" She called, still struggling. He peeked around the corner, looking slightly alarmed, and then burst out laughing. "It's not funny," She mumbled, pushing at the shelf. He disappeared into the kitchen, and she dug around for a second, trying to get a book off her arm. Then Percy was right next to her, lifting the bookshelf up by her face. Which meant her eyes were right by his arms—his muscular arms. Ooh, she thought, then squashed it.

"I have been waiting for years to do that," He laughed, sitting next to her. The bookshelf was on her other side.

"Excuse me?"  
He pointed to the carpet. "It's really not your fault."  
There was a lump under the rug, wide enough to cover the back bottom of the base. Which meant that the bookshelf was always leaning forward.

"That was mean."  
"But funny."

She glared at him. He sighed.  
"I'm sorry, Annabeth, for dropping a bookshelf on you."  
"You'd better be," She grumbled, getting up and stepping over the shelf.

He lifted it back up, and she pretended not to watch, to be absorbed in her book. It took him a few minutes to get all the books put back exactly right, and so she thought that maybe this wasn't as drastic decision as she had decided it might.

"Should we make a schedule?" He asked, straightening.

"What, like The More the Merrier? No."  
He shrugged. "Then no complaining."  
"Do you take really long showers?"  
He gave her a devilish grin. "Sometimes."  
"Uh-huh." She went back to her book.


	3. Chapter 3

Annabeth didn't get out of her chair for four hours, absorbed as she was in Percy's book. When she did, she did it groaning, her legs creaking in protest.

"I'm numb!" She moaned. He gave her an amused look. "Too long!"  
"Did you finish it?"  
"Yeah. It was okay."  
"I didn't think you liked mysteries."  
"Not usually. But I started it, so I had to finish it."  
"Ah," He said. He was writing something, but obviously having a hard time. Annabeth went over and sat by him on the pullout.

"What're you doing?"

He rubbed his eyes. "I'm supposed to write a summary of this fish, but it's a really complicated fish and there's too much stuff it told me."  
"Huh. You're a marine biologist?"  
He nodded. "I'm sort of the check upper—I go around to all the aquariums around the city and make sure they're treating the fish right, feeding them right, and sometimes give tours and demonstrations. And when I'm not doing that, I work at a really small aquarium, owned by this old man who mostly sleeps behind the desk. He doesn't really mind or notice when I feed the fish without a suit or air tank, or if I pop out dry."  
"Cool. Are there tours?"  
"Yeah. But only at certain times, and I don't feed them then. Mostly private school trips, coming to look at the fish. They really don't care, but they're glad to be out of school. What about you?"  
"Me?" She shrugged. "I work at a really crappy architect company with the stupidest boss ever. I'm just waiting for my five year mark so I can leave and still have credit for my designs."  
Her cell rang. She leaned over Percy, who looked skyward, to grab it.

"Speak of the devil," She sighed, taking the call. "Yeah?"  
Percy couldn't hear the words on the other side, but it sounded like a lot of yelling.

"I took two weeks off!"  
…

"Oh please! I emailed you the dates, then asked you if it was okay, and you said, to my face, that it was fine."

"I am not!"

…

"Like hell I will. I'm in New York, anyway."  
…

Annabeth laughed, short and incredulous.

"Yeah, right. I took two weeks off, and I'm going to enjoy them."  
…

"Fine. But my designs—"  
She brought the phone down, cursing and redialing.

"Millie? It's Annabeth. He's after my designs. Can you put them in the locking drawer in my desk and take the key?"  
…

"I don't care if you eat it. I've got one here, with me."  
She waited.  
"Thanks. Yeah, tell Tommy thanks too. Okay. Bye. I will. Bye."  
She hung up, waited a second, then hurled her phone at the wall. It bounced off and fell to the floor.

"Whoa," Percy said, putting his hands up. He could recognize an angry Annabeth anywhere, anytime. "What's the matter?"  
She glared at the wall. "My boss is the shittiest man in the world."  
"Ah. Do you want to talk about it?"

She frowned, breathing hard through her nose. "I told him that I was taking two weeks off, gave him the dates, asked him if it was okay, and he said it was fine. But now he calls and asks where I am, then demands I have to come in. I told him no, he said I might as well not come in. So I went to ask if my designs were still mine, and he hung up. So I called Millie, one of my coworkers, and asked her to hide them. She had her sort-of-boyfriend distract my boss and she locked my designs up and ate the key."  
"Huh."  
Her phone rang. She picked it up, snorted at the caller ID, and answered it with a short "What?"  
…

"Yeah, right."  
…

She bit her lip, staring out the window.

"I—"  
…

"Okay, fine."  
She hung up, glaring at the phone.

"Now what?" Percy asked.

She sighed. "He said that I could stay here and work under his brother, and that I could leave two months early with all my designs. So I agreed."  
"And…is this good or bad?" Percy questioned cautiously.  
"Good, I guess." She sighed again. "Anyway, I'll probably have to find a place to live here, then. Or… I don't know." She rubbed her eyes, sighing.

"Well, you can stay here until you find someplace permanent. I mean, if you want."  
She grinned at him. "Thanks, Percy."  
He shrugged. "Anytime."  
"I hope not. I mean, I hope my boss isn't really annoying so that I have to impose on you."  
"It's okay, Annabeth. I can handle it."  
She sighed, shaking her head at the floor.  
He got up and went to the kitchen, rummaging through the drawers.

"What are you doing today?" He asked.

"Dunno. I'll probably go over to Piper's later. Why?"  
"Oh, just wondering. I'm going out later, and I didn't really want to leave you alone on your first day here. Well, second. You were here yesterday."  
"I'll be fine if she's busy. Which she could be."

He glanced up at her, knowing exactly what she was getting at.

"Okay. You like grilled cheese, right?"  
"Yeah. You want help?"  
"You can make the soup. I usually have to do it separate or the sandwiches burn."

"Where do you keep it?"  
He pointed to a cupboard, which she opened to find a bunch of cans. She dug around until she found tomato soup.

"And pots?"  
He pointed to another cupboard while smearing butter on bread.

She opened it to find a variety of pots shoved haphazardly into the small space. Carefully, she maneuvered around until she got the one she wanted.

"Zeus. You need to organize it," She muttered, setting the pot on the stove and pouring soup into it.

"Never have time," He mumbled from the cupboard. He emerged with a pan and dust in his hair.

Quietly and quickly, they made a nice lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup. They ate it the same way, then Percy excused himself to change for his "thing". Annabeth cleaned up the dishes by herself.

"Hey, Annabeth? You want to put your cases in the closet?"  
"Sure," She said, and lugged them down the hall where the closet stood open, with a few towels on the top shelves. It had a little space to stand, so you could close the door while inside.  
"You can use it as a dressing room," Percy decided with a grin.

"Oh, thanks." She rolled her eyes as the door buzzer rang. He headed off and Annabeth noticed what he was wearing. A blue button-up, untucked with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and jeans. It was casual, but nice. He opened the door to reveal a young woman, wearing a skirt and tight top. Her brown hair was straightened to perfection, with hoop earrings that matched her golden sandals. Percy greeted her with a hug.

Annabeth got the same feeling she'd gotten when she first heard of and met Rachel Dare, before she became the oracle and out-of-bounds.

Instant dislike.

"Oh, Annabeth!" Percy called. Annabeth emerged from the hallway, aware of her boxers, plaid shirt, and hair twisted into a bun to keep it out of the soup. "This is Stacy."  
Stacy regarded Annabeth like an evil queen finding the peasant her prince's taken a fancy to. Or something.

"Hi, Annabeth. It's nice to meet you," She said.

"Likewise," Annabeth replied pleasantly.

"Oh, hang on. I forgot my key," Percy said, disappearing into his room.

"So, have you two been…a thing long?" Annabeth asked.

Stacy laughed. "Oh, we've been dating for about a month."

 _Yeah_ , Annabeth thought. _I dated him for about a year and knew him for four besides that. But wow, a month!_

Instead, she said, "Cool. Is it your one month anniversary?"

Stacy nodded.

 _He taking you to Paris_? Annabeth mentally asked.

"Wow, that's cool. He always does something special."  
Stacy raised an arched eyebrow. "Oh? Did you two date?"

"Got it!" Percy called triumphantly, reentering. Annabeth told them both to have fun and went into the kitchen. After the door closed, she called Piper.

"Hey, Annabeth! How's it going?"  
"Oh, great. Did you know he had a girlfriend?"  
"Who, Natalie?"  
"What? No. Stacy."  
"Oh, yeah. You met her? What's she like?"  
"She's a bitch."

"Okay, Annabeth. Now looking at this from a view other than ex-girlfriend?"

"Shut up, Piper. I mean it. She looked at me like I'm a piece of garbage and she's, like, the husband to the garbage collector."  
"That made no sense whatsoever. What're you wearing?"  
"You know, a plaid shirt, boxers."  
"There. See? She's jealous. She sees a woman in her boyfriend's clothes in his apartment, who hints at being an ex, and she gets suspicious. It's perfectly normal."

Annabeth sighed, flopping on the couch. "I guess you're right. But it just irritates me, you know?"  
"You want to do something to them? Or what?"  
"I don't know…would it be weird if I followed them around?"  
"Yeah. But that's a good idea. Hmm…how about I have Jason text Percy, ask him if he wants to do something. Then, when he says no, he's on a date, have Jason say that I suggested we all meet up for a triple date."  
"I'm going with who?"  
"Oh, I'll pay someone. Don't worry."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "It's a horrible plan."  
"Whatever, it's better that yours. Now, get ready. You have skinny jeans, right?"

"Yeah."  
"Good. Now, put them with a top, and sandals, earrings, and a necklace. I'll come by in a couple of hours and pick you up, make sure you're dressed appropriately. Okay? See you in a few."  
"Bye, Piper."  
Annabeth watched TV for a while, and when it was time to get ready, took Piper's advice, finding her skinny jeans, putting them with a gray tank top, brown sandals, and a necklace. She had just finished doing her hair and makeup when the buzzer rang.  
It was Piper. "You look fabulous," She laughed, looking fabulous herself in a sundress.

"Thanks. Did you get a date for me?"  
"Yeah, I called Drew, you know, my half-sister, and she recommended this guy because he's cheap and good. Apparently he's done it a bunch of times."  
"He's never met Stacy, right?"  
"No, I gave him her description. He says no, but he might be wrong.

"How'd you get her description?"  
"Oh, I have ways."  
They made it to the lobby, and then out the door. It was April, so it was cool, but not cold enough to need a jacket.

Jason honked the horn, and Piper climbed into the front seat.

Annabeth opened the back door to reveal a black-haired man with muscles bigger than Percy's.

"Hi, Annabeth. I'm Myles."  
"Hi, Myles. Thanks for doing this."  
"No problem."  
"How much are they paying you?" She asked as Jason set off into traffic.

"Can't tell you. But, give me a rundown. Are you going to be pissed if I open your car door? Can I defend you in a fight? What's your favorite color? Parent's names?"  
The questions went on, and Annabeth answered them as best she could. Before she knew it, they had pulled up to the restaurant.  
"Piper, I hate you. I'm not doing this," Annabeth decided.

"To bad, Annabeth. Come on."  
"Wait! Myles! I don't—" She climbed out of the car and fell, her sandal straps twisting.

He caught her. "You don't what?"  
"I don't know anything about you!"  
He laughed.  
"You say whatever you want, Annabeth. I'll go along with it. Don't worry."  
She blinked as he headed after Piper and Jason into the restaurant. Percy and Stacy were already there, sitting across from each other at a table for six.

Myles sat next to Stacy, introducing himself, and Piper sat next to him, leaving Annabeth to try to sit gracefully in the seat next to Percy. Jason sat next to her, and she wiped her sweaty palms on her pants.

 _Enough_ , She commanded herself. _You are a daughter of Athena. She's just a random girl. Percy's your ex, and that's how it is. Pull yourself together._

Annabeth's palms dried as she ordered her drink and Myles asked for the same.

But then Jason did something, something that Annabeth had no idea how he did it, but it left her blinking and Piper saying that her eyeliner was messed up.

"Huh? Oh, I'll go fix it," She mumbled through Jason's apologies. Stacy stood.

"I'll go with you!"  
 _Great,_ Annabeth thought darkly. But she could always beat her up if it came to that. It'd only take about two seconds.

The thought cheered her as they made their way to the bathroom.

Stacy stood by her side while Annabeth did damage control.

"Oh, Stacy. I'm sorry about earlier, I know how it must've looked. You know, me being in his clothes and all."  
"Oh, it's alright," Stacy said with a laugh. "Percy explained the wine. And, you know, your past."  
 _Oh? Did he explain about the quests when went on since we were twelve? Did he explain about the sky? Did he explain about him going missing and the kisses and I-love-yous and Tartarus? Because I doubt it, Stacy._

"Oh, good," Annabeth said. "I'm glad he cleared that up."

Stacy smirked. Annabeth wanted to smack her.

"Oh, I'd better fix mine," Stacy said, eying her flawless makeup. "You don't have to wait."

"Oh, well, good luck." Annabeth replied with a smile. "Wasn't going to," She muttered when she was out of the bathroom.

The boys were talking animatedly about something when Annabeth sat back down.

Piper raised an eyebrow.

"Still a bitch," Annabeth mouthed. Piper nodded, looking satisfied.

"Did I miss anything?" Stacy asked, returned from fixing her makeup.

"Nope," Annabeth said.

The waiter came and asked for orders and left.

"So, Annabeth. How'd you and Myles meet?" Percy asked.

"Oh, well…" She remembered him saying to make up anything. "He works for my boss's brother, here in New York, but he used to come to L.A. all the time. We did some work together, and when he heard I was back, he wanted to catch up."

Myles grinned innocently at Percy. "She doesn't really leave your mind once she enters it, does she?"  
Percy smiled softly, shaking his head. "No, she doesn't."

The table fell silent. Annabeth looked up and Myles, who winked. She blushed, looked at her lap, and batted her eyelashes teasingly. He laughed.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Oh, nothing," Myles said, still smiling at Annabeth.

They chatted about nothings for a while, until the waiter brought the food. Then they talked about great foods they've had, and great vacations.

They were winding down when Annabeth reached for an olive on Myles' plate and knocked Stacy's glass over.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She said while Stacy mopped.

"Oh, don't worry. It was a blonde mistake," She laughed.

Most blonde insults Annabeth could get by with a glare and they'd leave her alone. But Stacy's tone and the fact that Annabeth already didn't like her was too much.

She felt Percy and Jason's hands on her wrists.

"Annabeth. Sit _down,_ " Piper hissed. Annabeth hadn't even realized she was standing.

She sat woodenly, thinking evil thoughts with all her might at Stacy, hoping she'd get them and run away, screaming.

"How about a walk in the park?" Myles asked Annabeth.

"Oh, that'd be great!" Stacy announced, even though she wasn't invited.

"We can pay," Jason said.

"No, we can all split it," Percy insisted.

Stacy 'forgot her wallet'.

The rest of them paid and left, heading a couple of blocks over to the nearest park. For a while, they walked in pairs until they found a nice clearing with a few benches. Jason and Piper sat on one, Stacy poked around in the bushes, Percy and Myles debated something about the trees, and Annabeth fixed her sandal.

"Look, Annie!" She heard Stacy say. She looked up. Right at a spider.

Screaming, she fell back. Stacy laughed and shook it off.

"Is that another blonde thing?"  
Annabeth stood up, fists clenched. She was making an enormous effort.

"What's the matter?" Stacy taunted. "Scared?"  
Annabeth could see the others heading their way. She had to do this quick.

Grabbing Stacy's wrist, she used her ankle to pop Stacy's knees and shoved, making her fall. Annabeth sat on her, holding her flailing wrists while Stacy wailed and cried. She was preparing to punch her when Percy and Myles dragged her off. Stacy stood, shakily. Her makeup was smeared from her crying.

"I'm going to press charges!" She squeaked.

Annabeth took a step towards her.

"Oh, yeah?" She snarled.

Percy and Myles grabbed her arms.

Stacy's face was white.  
"Percy, can we a talk?" She squeaked. Percy waited until Jason had a firm hold on Annabeth before walking a ways away.

She could only hear snatches of conversation, but it sounded like, "Her or me," "Crazy," "Maniac," and then she said something, Percy replied quickly, and Stacy turned on her heel and left.

"What's she say?" Piper asked. The boys let go of Annabeth.

"She said that either Annabeth had to go or she would, and that I should have her put in a home. Then she said that she was going to walk away unless she got to smack Annabeth. I told her okay, but we'd let Annabeth go and wouldn't be responsible for what happened. Then she left."

"What'd she do, Annabeth?" Jason asked, curiously.

"Called me Annie. Held a spider in my face. Called me a blonde again, and then scared."  
Piper shook her head. "She had it coming."

The group stared at the ground in silence, then Myles' phone broke the silence, buzzing. He checked it.

"Oh, Annabeth. I'm so sorry, something's come up. I've got to go."

"Uh, okay. Thanks—"  
Myles leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled at him, and he walked off.  
"Well, thanks for the great night, guys. Bye!" Piper exclaimed brightly. She grabbed Jason's arm and pulled him away.

Percy and Annabeth watched them go.

"You okay?" Annabeth asked.

He sighed, looking up at the sky. "Yeah. She wasn't really serious."  
"Ah," Annabeth said, not knowing what else to say.

"Come on, let's go back to the apartment."  
She followed him out of the park and into the quickly hailed cab. They were quiet, only a small argument on who would pay. Percy won, and he paid and led the way back to into the building and upstairs.

Their red footprints stood out prominently on the white carpet. There was a note on the door. Percy plucked it off and opened the door, reading the note.

"What's the matter?"  
He frowned. "It's a warning that if I do anything else to disfigure the building, I'll be kicked out."  
"Oh. Sorry."  
He shook his head. "It's not your fault. I'm going to go talk to Jeff, he handles this stuff. It's stupid because I know of at least six other people who've done stuff and haven't gotten caught…" His voice trailed off as he walked down the hallway.

Annabeth shook her head in amusement and took off her necklace. She put it on the shelf in her 'dressing room' and grabbed a cami and her boxers to change.

Percy shut the apartment door, pissed. Jeff had told him in a snooty voice that if he didn't like the conditions here, he could leave.

He could hear Annabeth in the bathroom, so he went into his room and put on his PJ's. Then he headed into the living room and picked out a movie, _Talk of the Town._

The bathroom door opened and Annabeth emerged, looking sleepy with wet hair.

"Hi, Percy," She mumbled, climbing on the bed next to him.

"Wanna watch a movie?" He waved it in her face.

"Sure."  
Percy put the movie in, and they settled in to watch it.

It was about half way done when Percy glanced over to see how Annabeth was liking it. She was sound asleep, her head on her shoulder and her hand curled around her blanket. Percy smiled to himself, pausing the movie and silently taking it out. Then, carefully, he slid her down into a laying position, put a pillow under her head, and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. She sighed in her sleep and rolled over slightly.

Biting his lip to hold back a laugh, he brushed a lock of hair off her forehead and whispered his good night.

He was about to get into bed when his cell phone rang. It was his boss.

"Percy?"  
"Yeah?"  
"You know the meeting the committee was going to have at your apartment?"  
"Yeah, next week, right?"  
"Uh, well, that's the problem. I didn't look at the calendar right, and it seems it's tomorrow. Is that still going to work?"  
Percy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. What time?"  
"We'll be there around 7:45. See you tomorrow."  
"Bye," Percy said, and hung up. He sighed. He'd have to get up early and clean and…

Do something about Annabeth. He didn't think she was getting enough sleep lately—she had circles under her eyes, so he didn't want to wake her early just to tell her that she'd have to leave.

He thought about it for a while, then settled on a good solution. Smiling to himself, he went to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Annabeth woke up in a bed that smelled like Percy. She sat up quickly, because she wasn't where she fell asleep. Looking around, she realized it was Percy's bedroom—but that didn't stop her panic. Rubbing her face, she tried to remember what happened last night…she must've fallen asleep during the movie.  
A pink piece of paper caught her eye. She picked it up, reading.

 _Annabeth, don't freak. You fell asleep during the movie and I got a business call. I needed to have people here early but I didn't want to wake you. They should be gone by 8:35, so just chill for a while, please. Some of them are my bosses and I don't think they'd think it responsible of me to have someone in my room when I have guests over._

 _Thanks, Percy_

Annabeth glanced at the bedside table—the clock read 8:29. Sighing, she set the note down and looked around. She'd seen his bedroom before, sure, but she had been mostly concentrating on the dresser. He had a double bed, with dark blue stripes on the comforter. His closet was half open, and a pile of clothes was sitting on the floor. The walls were unadorned, except for the windows, and they had shades over them. With a yawn, she climbed off the bed and opened them. Light flooded into the room, and she sat back on the bed. There were faint voices coming from the hallway, but nothing was distinguishable. Sighing, Annabeth looked around again. There was a bunch of books sticking out from under the bed, and Annabeth went to investigate. One was a tour book for New York, one was Sally's early novels, and one was a scrapbook. Annabeth glanced at the door, biting her lip, and opened it. It had pictures from camp, but mostly they were of Annabeth and Percy, or just Annabeth. There was one of Percy and Annabeth holding hands and grinning at the camera, and one of Annabeth in Sally's apartment, looking intently at a book and Percy leaning over and pestering her.

The voices got quieter, and the apartment door opened. Annabeth shut the book, noticing the dust on her fingers. There were marks on the book, too, showing that it hadn't been touched in years.

The door shut. Annabeth shoved it under the bed and hopped onto the bed, sprawling her limbs out and staring up at the ceiling. The apartment was quiet, and Annabeth thought maybe he'd left. She shut her eyes for a second, waiting.

"Annabeth."

Annabeth opened her eyes and shot up.

"Huh?"  
Percy laughed. He was standing by the bed, holding two mugs.

"You awake yet?"  
She shook her head. "I was awake—I just…"  
"Scooch over."

Annabeth shifted over slightly, giving him some room. He handed her a mug full of hot chocolate.

"Sorry about that," He said, taking a drink of his chocolate. "My boss thought it was next week, but he called late last night and said that it was today. I didn't want to wake you."  
She grinned. "It's okay. Thanks, actually. For not waking me."  
He studied her face, seeming about to say more, when the buzzer sounded.

"I'll get it," He sighed. "One of them probably forgot their hat or something."

He got up and left, and Annabeth went to the door and peeked out. There was a young man with a snotty expression, arguing with Percy.

"That's got nothing to do with-" Percy said, sounding tired.

"Nevertheless, you have a week to be out of here."  
"I had people over and you're kicking me out in a week."  
The man considered this. "Well, I guess not. You can have a week and a half."  
Percy slammed the door shut.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked, coming out of the room.

"Jeff. He said that I have to be out in a week and a half.."  
"Why?"  
"For one, the wine stains. And because I 'disrupted the peace with visitors this early.'" Percy looked disgusted. The buzzer rang again, and Percy threw it open, snarling, "What?"

Piper blinked, taken aback. "Sorry, grumpy pants. I just forgot to give this to Annabeth. And I need to talk to her."  
"Yeah, yeah." Percy went to his room, muttering. Piper dragged Annabeth to the couch and sat down.

"Well? Spill!"  
"Spill what?"  
Piper rolled her eyes. "You know. What happened last night? The pullout's in."  
Annabeth sighed. "We watched a movie. I fell asleep. He had people coming in early, so he relocated me to his bedroom for a while until they were gone. He probably put the pullout away because he didn't want them to know I was staying here."  
"Uh-huh. Why was he so grumpy when he answered the door?"  
"Probably because he's getting kicked out of this apartment building."  
"When?"  
"Just over a week."  
Piper squealed. "You guys can still room together!"  
Annabeth blinked. "One, that's weird. Two, how'd you know that I'm going to be living in the city?"  
"Oh, I have sources. And, no. It wouldn't be weird. You'd be used to it by then."  
"I don't know..."  
"Percy!" She shouted, getting up. "Do you want to get an apartment with Annabeth? Since, you know, she's staying in the city?"

He poked his head out and looked at Annabeth. "Would you?"  
She bit her lip. His sea-green eyes were doing the baby seal thing.

"Uh...yeah. Okay."  
"Thanks!" A smile lit up his face.

"As long as we can split the cost," She insisted.

"Sure!"

He disappeared into his bedroom, and Annabeth stared at his door for a second, wondering what she just got into.

"This is gonna be great," Piper exclaimed, rubbing her hands together.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You sure?"

"Shush. Now, you'll have to find a good apartment, get all of your stuff from California and bring it here, and move Percy's stuff, too."  
"And you can manage all that?"  
"Sure, sure." Piper continued talking. "And then you'll have to get—hey!"

Annabeth laughed. "You were ready to, though."  
Piper tried to scowl, but giggles broke through. "I was."

Her cell phone rang. She answered it with a flirty greeting.

Annabeth looked away. The apartment was a nice one, and she felt bad for helping Percy leave it.

"Okay, okay!" Piper was saying. "I'll be there soon."

She hung up, looking exasperated.

"Duty calls," She told Annabeth, pointing at her ring. "See you soon!"

Percy must have heard the door close, because he came back out of his room and plopped on the couch next to her.

"So, we're going to have to find an apartment. And move you."  
"Were you listening?"  
"Who, me?" He blinked innocently.

Annabeth sighed. "Anyway, I'll have to hire someone to drive all my stuff here, because I'm not driving that far. We'll have to find a good apartment, and decide which stuff of yours we want and which of mine. And then we'll have to pool our money to buy the place-"  
"Annabeth!" Percy laughed. "We've got two weeks! Which is also when you have to go to work. Sort of."

"Yeah, but-"

"Quiet! Here, let's plan the plans."  
He grabbed a piece of paper, a pen, and a duct tape.

"Okay," He said, drawing 14 boxes and labeling them with their days. "This is today."  
He proceeds to write down everything they're going to do, like so:

Sunday Plan the Plan

Monday Find an apartment

Tuesday Buy apartment

Wednesday Fly to L.A. and start packing

Thursday Pick furniture we want and finish packing

Friday Hire moving company

Saturday Load furniture and send off movers

Sunday Fly back

Monday Pack Percy's stuff

Tuesday Move everything

Wednesday Move everything cont.

Thursday Unpack stuff

Friday Laugh in Jeff's face

Saturday Be done

"Okay," He said, pleased with himself. "I think it's perfect."  
"We don't need a whole day to hire a moving company, Percy."

"Sure we do. What if we have to ask different people? And what if something happens?"

She rolled her eyes. "It takes like 40 hours to drive from L.A. to New York."

"Yeah, see, they'll leave on Saturday, and be here by Tuesday to help us move."

"But-"  
He unrolled the duct tape.

"No complaints."  
"Are you going to duct tape my mouth?"  
"If you keep talking."  
"I just thought that-"

He lunged with the tape. She ducked her head and tried to move away, but he grabbed her and put a pillow on her lap, then pushed on the pillow with his foot, holding her in place.

"Don't you dare, Seaweed Brain," She warned.

"Sit still."

"Don't, Percy. Don't-"  
He shut her mouth with a finger and taped her mouth. They he sat back, looking extremely pleased. He moved his foot.

"Be good."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Mmmhhmmmph!"

"Sorry, I don't speak duct tape."

"MmMMmmhmm."

"No you're not."  
"Hmm, mmMM!"

"Now, is this plan satisfactory?"  
"Mm."  
"Good."

She glared at him. He laughed. "Go ahead and take it off, Wise Girl. Go ahead."  
She sighed through her nose. He knew that she hated removing duct tape.

"Is this plan good?"  
"Mmhmph."

"Okay." He stood up and beckoned her to the kitchen. "It won't hurt as much this way."

He had her lean over the sink as he poured water over her face, and while it's poured, peeled the tape off.

"Ow," She groaned.  
"Sorry."

He grinned at her, and she tried to glare. Really, she did. But he was too close—leaning over her, his hands just on her face. She took a careful breath.

His cell rang. He turned away to answer it.

Annabeth sighed, partially from relief, and partially not.

When he hung up, he told her that it was his boss and they need him to come in for a while. He left.

Annabeth rubbed her face, trying to remove the sticky pain from the duct tape. She'd have to get back at him somehow, and do something to ease the boredom. Wandering back into the living room, she spotted the TV remote and grinned. Once upon a time, there had been two boys who'd taught her some tricks.

Annabeth spent the rest of the morning working—boiling eggs, folding sheets, and shopping. So when Percy got home at 12:30, she was sitting innocently at the kitchen counter, looking at a magazine.

"Sheesh," He said, hanging up his coat. "I had to train a new employee, but now I don't have to work as much. So I should be good for coming to L.A. Wednesday till Sunday."  
"You're coming?"  
He rolled his eyes, sliding into the seat across from her. "Duh, Wise Girl. Who's gonna carry all the stuff?"  
"My neighbor."  
"Uh-huh."  
"He's a body builder."  
"Okay, okay. I'm still coming. No complaining. You remember what happened last time?"  
She laughed in his face. "I dare you to try it again, Seaweed Brain. I just dare you. Seriously, you didn't think you'd get away with it, did you?"

He blinked, turning a shade paler.  
"What'd you do?"  
"You'll find out."

He groaned. "Anyway, want lunch?"  
"Sure. Eggs sound good, actually. Fried. I'll make toast."  
"Did you miss breakfast or something?"  
She ignored him, sliding off her stool and flinging the magazine onto the couch.

He opened the fridge and took out a carton of eggs and butter. After spreading butter on the pan, he started cracking eggs.

"What the...?" He examined the egg, bewildered. "It's boiled!"  
Annabeth bit her lip to keep from laughing. _Thank you, Stolls_ , she thought.

Finally Percy reached the back of the carton, where she hadn't boiled them. He cracked six eggs into the pan.

"You want two or three?"  
"Two. Are you going to eat four eggs, Percy? I read an article that they cause growth spurts."  
"Sure you did."  
He continued cooking them and she finished the toast. Eating and cleaning passed without an incident, and when it was done, Annabeth suggested watching TV. Percy agreed, thinking that the eggs had been the last of it.

They watched Hawaii Five-O, which Annabeth wasn't that interested in. She read while Percy watched. Suddenly, he sat straight up.  
"Hey!"  
"What's the matter, Percy?" Annabeth asked.

"The channel just changed!"  
She sighed. "Change it back."

He watched for five more minutes before it happened again. Frowning, he got up and fiddled with the settings on the back.

The sound on the TV rose and fell, channels flickering, and then it shut off.

"I'd leave it off for a while," Annabeth advised. "It probably needs to cool down."

He listened, going to the bathroom. Annabeth rubbed her fingers. It was hard to push that many buttons that fast.

She heard the toilet flush and waited.

"Annabeth!"

He came back out, his shirt wet and holding a small piece of tape, also wet.

"Yeah?"  
"What'd you do?"  
"I taped the faucet."

He sighed, going into his room to change.

"Hey—hey!"  
" _What now_?"

"My shirt's too small!"

He came out. The sleeves didn't reach his wrists and the bottom stopped inches above his waist.

"I told you not to eat that many eggs," She said, going back to her book.

He growled.

They spent the rest of the day lazing around, reading, watching movies, and bickering.

When Annabeth had climbed in bed, Percy had told her good night and went into his room. It only took a couple minutes for another shout. She got up, amused but exasperated.

"My bed's too small!"

"Huh?"  
"I can't slide all the way in!"  
"Let me try." She climbed into the bed and slid her legs under the covers, avoiding the bottom sheet. She fit perfectly.

He tried and got stuck halfway. He kept struggling.

"Percy."  
He looked up. She was standing above him, a smile on her face.

"What?"  
"It's folded in half."  
"Huh?" He checked and found that she was right.

"What did we learn today?" She asked, gray eyes twinkling.

"Don't tape Annabeth's face?"  
"Yes."  
With that, she left.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning started quietly, both of them eating their pancakes thoughtfully. But after that, they were rushing around, getting dressed and spending a good amount of time in the bathroom.

Then they were off to look at apartments. They had four within their price range that they thought might work. The first one, they soon realized, was way to far from both of their workplaces. The second one had garbage piled up in front of the building and the neighbors all sat by their windows fanning themselves because there wasn't any AC. The third one didn't have a bathroom. And just as they were thinking that they'd have to live without AC or a toilet, they came to the fourth one. It was on the fourth floor of the building, with wide windows in the living room. There was a small hallway, sort of like Percy's, but it had four doors—two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large closet. The AC worked. There were a bunch of cabs to ride to work on the street below. It was perfect.

They put in an offer for the apartment, offering more than the rest of the people, who all had second choices.

The realtor said he'd call them in the morning if they got it.

Afterward, they went for ice cream at a small corner shop, splitting a banana split.

"So, tomorrow," Percy said around a mouthful of sprinkles. "We buy the apartment with money."  
"I thought we'd buy it with shoelaces."  
He flicked a sprinkle at her.

The next morning, the realtor did call—they got the apartment. They split what they were going to pay then and sent it off. The rest of the day, they packed for L.A. Well, Percy packed. Annabeth just straightened her suitcases.

The flight to L.A. passed without quickly, the two of them chatting and bickering. They took a cab to her apartment.

"Annabeth? Where've you been?" Her neighbor, Mrs. Friech, asked.

"Oh, I'm on vacation in New York. Actually, I'm moving there. Reminds me," Annabeth said to Percy as she unlocked the door. "I have to tell the building manager.'  
"She's staring at me," He whispered.

"Say hello." The door opened.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm Percy. It's a pleasure," Percy said with a pleasant smile, then went into the apartment after Annabeth. They turned a corner and came into the living room/ dining room.

"You can put your bags there," Annabeth said, tossing her keys on the table. "I'm going to go find Fred now, okay?"  
"Uh, okay."

She left.

Percy looked around curiously. The apartment had an air of busy woman—mail on the table, a couple of jackets thrown over the couch. The kitchen was separated from the living room by one wall, which had an opening in it. There was a small hallway leading off from it, with two doors. They were both open, one was a bathroom and one was a bedroom. Percy tried not to snoop as he looked at the pictures on the walls. There were a lot of ones with Annabeth and her family, plus some of the Empire State Building and her camp friends.

"Mrs. Friech is trying to keep me here," Annabeth said, shaking her head. "She thinks some criminal is going to come move in next to her.

"Huh? Oh, probably."  
She raised an eyebrow at him. "So, anyway, I think we should plan meals or something, because then we'll know what we want to pack for kitchen stuff.

"Okay. Well, I'm fine with eating out. I hear L.A.'s sushi is good."  
"Okay, but we're going to be here for a while."  
"So we can have cereal in the mornings, sandwiches for lunch, and eat out for dinner."

"Okay, okay," She relented. "If you say so."  
"I do say so. You think we can pack in two days?"  
"Yeah. I don't have that much stuff."

They both went to Home Depot for moving boxes, getting as many as they could carry. Then they packed—the pictures off the walls, clothes, kitchen stuff, books,

The next day they decided that they wanted Annabeth's table and armchairs, but not the couch. They both wanted to keep their beds, so they'd take that, too.

Annabeth guessed that they'd need about one big truck, if they could stack the boxes on top of the furniture. So the day after that, they Googled moving companies that would drive her stuff from L.A. to N.Y. They came up with about six, three of which they crossed out randomly and the other three to look into.

The first company would help carry the boxes to the trucks, drive across the country, and then help unload the boxes. The second company wouldn't drive across country. The third company had to have trucks supplied.

"I think maybe the first one," Percy told Annabeth.  
"You think?"

She rolled her eyes as they walked through the streets, not paying attention.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted, and then he was grabbing her and yanking her to him.  
A car whizzed past, a split second after, right where she'd been walking.

"Idiot," He muttered, furious. "You have to watch where you're going!"

Her fingers were shaking against his chest. She could still feel the breeze from the car, still feel her heart beating a thousand miles a second.

She could feel Percy's heart, too, going almost as fast as hers as he stared at her, still angry.

"Percy, the car's gone. You can let me go."  
He released her his arms and she immediately fell, having lost her balance.

He didn't seem to notice. "Come on."

She followed, meek, as he elbowed his way through crowds to a sushi place.

They got a table and she stared at the menu, confused. "I don't understand this," She said, letting it fall, limp, in her fingers.  
He sighed, loud and dramatic."I can order for both of us."

"Yes, please."

Annabeth shifted in her stool, looking around. There was a man across the restaurant who didn't seem able to get a piece of food into his mouth—it'd fall on the plate, or his wife would take it off of the fork.

"Look at that man there," Annabeth whispered.

He didn't look up from the menu. "Don't stare."  
"But he can't eat!" She titled her head, trying to figure out how he was so unable.

Percy finally looked at her. She met his gaze, her head still turned to the side. Slowly, under his glare, she rightened her head and took her elbows off the table.

He went back to the menu. When the waiter came, he rattled off a bunch of unfamiliar words and ordered water for both of them. The waiter left, and Annabeth stared at him.

"Is that what it sounds like to you when I talk about architecture?"

He rolled his eyes, and she fought the urge to laugh.

"Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom," She said, slipping down from her seat. She glanced back at him, and saw him drumming his fingers on the table, tightness shown in his neck and arms.

 _Angry Percy is so sexy,_ she thought, and froze, startled by the thought.

"Annabeth!" He said, reaching over the table and pushing her to the side. A waitress, moving fast, passed right where she'd been.  
"Thanks," Annabeth said, but he'd gone back to staring out the window.

Making a beeline for the one-person bathroom, she pulled out her cell and frantically dialed.

"Piper?" She hissed into the phone.  
"Yeah?"  
"Help, 911, I need-"  
"Whoa, whoa. Slow _down_."

Annabeth took a breath. "So I was walking and not paying attention, and then Percy grabbed me and pulled me off the street just as a car went by, and I would've died, and then he was holding me. Like, really close. Then he let go and I almost fell. But he's mad now, and then I was going to the bathroom and I just randomly thought _He's so sexy when he's angry_ or something and then he saved me again and then I came in here and told you."  
Piper was silent for a second. "Two options," She decided. "One, it's PMS. Two, Mom is messing with you."

"Aphrodite?"

"Please, Annabeth. She loved the two of you."  
"Okay. I'm going to go back."  
"Don't over think this."  
"I won't."  
"Okay. Bye."  
Piper disconnected, and Annabeth splashed water on her face.

Percy was already eating when she got back. He didn't seem to be angry, but she still sat up straight and kept her elbows off the table.

They walked back after.  
"Hey," Percy said when back in her building. "I'm sorry for yelling. I just..."  
"It's okay," She assured him. "I would've done the same thing."  
He looked surprised. "But you-"  
"Well, I'm beat. See you tomorrow!"  
She moved through the apartment and went into her room, the last image of his expression plastered on the back of her eyelids.

Honking horns woke her early the next morning. When she stumbled to the window, she saw that it was the movers, waving at the window and probably hoping she'd see them.

"Percy," She called, going back out. "Percy the movers-" The apartment was empty. "Percy?" She called again, right before the door opened.

"But if you could wait here for a few minutes, I've got to go get dressed and wake Annabeth."

The door shut.

"Annabeth, wake up!" Percy said softly, rounding the corner. He was rubbing his hands together with an evil expression. He jumped when he saw her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Guilty, Seaweed Brain?"

He shrugged. "Nah. Go get dressed. The movers are here."  
She rolled her eyes and went to do as he told. When she opened the door, someone yelled "Bah!" Acting on instinct, she swung her fist out, aimed for the throat. He ducked and she punched the wall.

"Sheesh, Annabeth. What did that wall did to you?" Percy cackled, walking away. She sped past him, whacking the back of his head as she passed.

They helped the movers move everything out—the table and armchairs into the truck, the couch to be sold, plus all the boxes.

When they were done and the movers gone, Percy and Annabeth stood in the empty apartment, the only other things in there the suitcases at their feet.

Percy grinned at her. "Hotel?"

They had an early flight the next day, and then they were back in New York. Piper was waiting at the apartment door, shifting from foot to foot.

"You're back!"  
"How long have you been waiting?" Percy asked, amused, as he unlocked the door.  
"Oh, a couple minutes. I have to pee!" She sped through the apartment and into the bathroom, slamming the door after her.

"Can we start packing today?" Annabeth asked.

"No. You'll ruin the plan."

"Oh, so you're all for plans now? When did that happen?"  
"Shut up."

He started rummaging in the kitchen. Piper popped out of the bathroom, smiling brightly.

"You need moving boxes, right? Annabeth and I can go get those."  
"But-"  
"No, no! It's fine!" Piper dragged Annabeth out of the room, turning a deaf ear to Percy's protests.

They went to Home Depot, again, but this time Piper pulled Annabeth behind a stack of boxes.

"Well? What happened?"  
"Nothing. I mean, nothing."  
"You sounded really worked up on the phone."  
"Yeah, well, distance does that. Really, it was nothing."  
Piper raised an eyebrow but let it drop.

They picked up a bunch of boxes and took them back to Percy's place. Piper stayed and helped them start packing, saying that she had nothing better to do, which meant Jason was working.

They got the majority of the living area stuff packed, but Percy wouldn't let them into his bedroom, saying that it was too messy.

"Girl's night?" Piper asked, tugging gently on Annabeth's arm.

"Oh, what the heck. Sure."

They caught a cab to Piper's apartment, and Piper wouldn't stop bouncing in the elevator.

"She'd better be awake, better be awake!" She muttered through the hall.

She shoved the key into the lock and flung the door open, grinning.

The apartment was empty.

Piper shoved Annabeth through, and Annabeth took the steps down to the living room.

"Piper?" A familiar voice called.

Annabeth spun. "Hazel!"

They all hugged and claimed how excited they were to see each other.  
"Well, we can't go out to bars, because someone's not 21," Piper joked. "Any ideas?"  
"Movie," Hazel suggested. Annabeth shrugged.

"Fine with me."  
So they went, and didn't have any idea of what movies were showing. They ended up seeing a chick flick—about a girl who found out her boyfriend was a spy—for the sole purpose of seeing how many times they could've beaten the movie.

It came to about 28 times each. They laughed their way out of the side door, into the alley that led to the parking lot.

"But really, when she was home alone, and kept hearing noises? Seriously, I knew the house was going to be broken into at the beginning of the scene. She didn't realize until the guy was right in front of her," Hazel said, still giggling. They turned a corner and came upon a dark alley.

"I think we took a wrong turn," Piper said, amusement still clear in her voice.

"You think?" Annabeth said, and they turned around.

There were three men standing there, evil grins plastered on their faces.

"I have to check something," Piper said, drawing something from her mini-purse.

She spun behind and around the men, flashing bronze. She ended up right back where she started, putting it back in her purse.

"They're all mortal," She reported.

"Oh, great," Hazel sighed.

"Did you just stab them?" Annabeth asked.

"Hey, girls. You lost?" The one in front asked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "No, we just took a wrong turn. Excuse us."  
They laughed. "We can show you the town."  
Piper wrinkled her nose. "No thanks. I know my way around."  
"Oh yeah?"  
"Yeah."  
Annabeth stepped forward. "Hey, hey. Let's keep this civil."

"Oh, this is civil. Don't worry."

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. That is, he tried. She stepped back and he missed.  
"Where're you going?" He asked.

"Nowhere with you," She said, and punched him as hard as she could in the nose.

He stumbled backwards several steps and sat down hard, holding his gushing nose.

" _Excuse_ us, boys," Annabeth said, shaking out her hand and stepping around them, Hazel and Piper at her heels.

They called it a night soon after that, dropping Annabeth off at Percy's place.

He was asleep on the couch, and he didn't wake up when she opened the door.

So she closed it, loudly. He didn't move. She opened the fridge and closed it. Nothing.

He only startled awake when she dropped a cookbook on the floor behind the couch.

"Huh?" He mumbled. She leaned over the back.

"You're on my bed."  
"Oh, sorry. What happened to your hand?"

He turned around, on his knees, and picked up her hand. He held it gently, like it was a baby.

"I punched a guy."  
"What'd he do?"  
"Oh, him and his goonies wouldn't let Piper, Hazel, and me out of the alley so I punched him as hard as I could."  
He raised an eyebrow. "Hazel? She's back?"  
"She lives here?"  
"She goes to school here. You'd better put some ice on that," He added, picking up his blanket and going into his room.

Annabeth stared after him, confused.


End file.
